I was reading an interesting story about Rev. Johnnie Moore’s response to the decision by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to sanction him. The move effectively bans Moore and his family from entering Communist China, Hong Kong and Macao, a former Portuguese controlled city on the coast of China.

Rev. Moore is an evangelical Christian and president of The Congress of Christian Leaders. Up to a few weeks ago, Moore also served on U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

He was sanctioned after USCIRF released its 2021 annual report where it condemned the Communist regime’s treatment of religious groups and sanctioned a CCP official for his violation of religious rights in the communist regime.

In the report, it particularly warned of the CCP’s aggressive use of advanced surveillance technologies to control and subjugate religious minorities and as well all Chinese citizens.

The announcement of CCP’s reciprocal sanction of Moore was made by The Global Times, a propaganda news outlet for the CCP.

So how did Moore respond?

Here is what he tweeted:

Here’s my response to being sanctioned by the #CCP this morning:

“It is an honor to be sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party for giving my voice to the Uyghur Muslims, Christians (including Jimmy Lai), Tibetan Buddhists & countless others the CCP tries to silence …

— Rev. Johnnie Moore ن (@JohnnieM) May 26, 2021

He called it an honour to be sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party.

Though, Moore’s statement flies in the face of a modern culture that craves likes and views, it falls in line with what Jesus said in His sermon on the mount when the Lord warned:

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:26 NIV)

Jesus was telling believers we don’t want everyone to like us.

We not only should have enemies, we need enemies, because it is a sign we are standing for God and truth.

Rev Moore should wear his sanction by the CCP as a badge of honour.

It is an odd dynamic. Though believers are commanded to love their enemies, this does not mean that we necessarily want them to like us. There are people who should be hating us.

And, Jesus’ statement comes with a warning.

The Greek word ‘ouai’ translated ‘woe’ is used as ‘an expression of grief or denunciation.’ Many times, the word was used as a warning of impending judgment (Matthew 11:21) or doom (Revelation 12:12).

READ: China’s Communist Regime Sanctions Rev. Johnnie Moore in Retaliation Against the US: Here’s How He Responded